Lander-Yellow Jacket was an area I discovered late in my time skiing in the Black Hills. The area is on the south side of US 85, across from the maintained BHNF Eagle Cliff Cross-Country Ski Trail system. The Lander-Yellow Jacket route was unmaintained, but had reliable snow and was popular with local skiers. My first trip on 2- 9-92 with Don and Doug was good enough to bring me back several times that year. We had found an easy loop, packed by snowmobiles, which was also used by some skate skiers.
But
what I remember most about this area was my next trip on 3-22-92 with two guys
from the XC Ski club. We had 1.5” of snow on a hardpacked base that was perfect
for skating. It was an exhilarating day zipping through the trees at speeds I’d
never reached (intentionally) on XC skis. The next day I skied some of the
area, along with part of Eagle Cliff, the next day with the Wortman family.
By
that summer, I’d begun work on the first edition of my Black Hills guide. I mountain
biked the loop on 6-30-92 to measure it,
and to confirm the adage of “good winter skiing equals good summer biking”
still held. On this trip I continued just a bit south to connect to BHNF Road
231, (also Snowmobile Trail 2) to get some extra distance. Skiers normally
stopped short of SMB 2 to avoid contact with the snowmobilers. By my last trip
there on 11-27-92, the loop was mundane enough to not merit a journal entry. 
Lander-Yellow Jacket in 1992.
The loop was easily fun enough to be included in my original Black Hills guidebook. But it was one of three trips (along with the commercial ski trails at Deer Mountain and an off trail hike up Spearfish Peak) to be deleted from the second edition. I’m not sure if this was because of private property near the start of the loop, or if I was already having trouble keeping up with events on the unmaintained routes described in the guidebook now that I was no longer living in the area. A slightly updated description of the route from the first edition of my guide is below.
LANDER-YELLOW JACKET LOOP
Description: An easy cross country ski or mountain bike loop on BHNF roads.
General Location: Fifteen miles southwest of Lead, SD.
Distance: 6.9 miles for the ski loop and 8.4 miles for the mountain bike loop.
Access: From Cheyenne Crossing, drive southwest 6.7 miles on US Highway 85 to
BHNF Road 232 and leave one car here. Drive another 0.8 mile and park the other
car at the Eagle Cliff Bratwurst trailhead. The route begins across the highway
from the trailhead.
Maps: Black Hills National Forest, USGS Crook's Tower, SD 7.5 minute quadrangle.
The Lander-Yellow Jacket loop is an
easy family ski tour or mountain bike ride on an unmarked route through the
area south of the Eagle Cliff cross country ski trail system. This was an area
used by local skiers who also called it "Clayton Draw" or
"Half-Painted Corral".
Lander-Yellow Jacket was the western edge of an informal network of
cross country ski routes around North Park and Ward Draw.
From the Eagle Cliff Bratwurst
parking lot, cross US Highway 85, and ski south along a road through an open
meadow. This part of the loop is on private property. An unmarked cross country ski route, called
"The Aspen Grove", could be used to bypass the private land on the
east side. Stay in the main draw for 2.5 miles, passing Lander Spring, before
cresting a small divide in a grove of spruce. After another 0.3 mile, turn left
(east) at an old corral into a narrow side draw which leads to BHNF Road 232
and the valley of Spearfish Creek. This side canyon contains a few short,
narrow drops with easy runouts that are great fun. If you miss the side canyon
you will intersect Snowmobile Trail 2 and BHNF Road 231 in 0.4 mile.
Follow BHNF Road 232 north along
Spearfish Creek back to US Highway 85.
Upper Spearfish Canyon is not as steep or dramatic as the deep lower
canyon, but is nearly as beautiful. Pass a junction with BHNF Road 210 after
2.8 miles. The last 0.7 mile is icier, and has less snow, than the rest of the
route. If your group has only one vehicle, you will need to turn left and ski
west along the road back to the trailhead.
Several factors combine to make this
an excellent family trip. The terrain is gentle and there are no steep hills.
The loop is uphill going out, and downhill on the way back. If the loop is done counterclockwise, it is
mostly downhill. Route finding is easy, and much of the route may be packed by
snowmobiles. Groups not wishing to ski the entire loop may simply ski up and
down either one of the draws.
This loop is in the "buffer zone"
between cross country ski and snowmobile areas and is used by both groups. Some
novice skiers may appreciate the tracks left by snowmobilers, while fitness
oriented skiers can often skate across the packed areas.
Lander Draw holds snow well into
April and may have the best spring skiing in the Black Hills. Skaters in
particular will relish blasting across the hard, fast crust which is heaven
when covered by a dusting of fresh powder from a late spring storm.
With the arrival of summer, and dry
ground, this is a good mountain bike loop.
To keep on two track dirt roads, continue south on BHNF Road 231.5B,
avoiding the side draw, to reach BHNF Road 231 0.4 mile past the corral. Turn
east and follow road 231 for 0.5 mile, then turn south on BHNF Road 232. Ride
0.4 mile to return to ski route. Most
bikers won't mind the 0.8 miles along the highway to close the loop, so two
vehicles are not needed. Avoid this loop in wet conditions because of sticky,
clay-rich soils on the limestone bedrock. While this is a relatively easy bike
ride, keep in mind that only roads 231 and 232 are maintained and riding
elsewhere can be rougher.
